The consequences of an ultimatum
by thesewomenrulemyworld
Summary: Casey gave Jane an ultimatum...


"Unless…"

"Unless what?"  
"Unless I marry him."

They had spent last few hours at the Dirty Robber, desperately avoiding the matter of Casey's ultimatum, because Jane didn't want to talk about it. She wanted Maura to know, but wasn't ready for further exploration of the topic. So they were sitting in their favourite booth, letting alcohol numb their senses and talking about everything but Casey.

There they were, stumbling through the front door of Maura's house, their heads slightly spinning from the alcohol running through their veins. Jane automatically reached out and helped Maura out of her jacket, hanging it next to hers in the hallway. Their feet tapped on the floor, Jane following Maura's steps towards the stairs. They walked into Maura's bedroom, took off their shoes and lay down on 'their' sides of the bed. The nightstand lamp offered a dim light to the room.

Maura was lying on her back when she felt the warmth of Jane's body slightly pressed to her side. Her eyes widened slightly when she felt Jane's nose nuzzling her neck. But she didn't say anything. She didn't want her to slip away.

"Are you alright?" Maura whispered as her fingers started playing with Jane's hair, the lightest of touches.

"I don't know what to do," Jane admitted and sighed, the warm breath tickling Maura's neck. "This is wrong, we shouldn't be doing this…"  
"No, it's okay," Maura said quickly, afraid that Jane would leave her. "You love _him_ and _I_ \- I'm here…"

"Yes , I love him…" Jane muttered and leaned her forehead against Maura's neck, closing her eyes to still her swirling mind.

"Do you want to be a General's wife?" Maura asked with her throat tight and heart throbbing painfully against her ribcage. She was afraid of the answer, but she needed to know. She needed to know what her best friend was going to decide for, if she was going to leave Maura all alone again or if she wouldn't let anyone dictate how she should live her life.

"I don't want to leave my life here…" Jane said with her voice even lower than usual, both alcohol and sleepiness affecting it.

Maura just hummed in answer and silence fell between them again. Maura was staring into the ceiling and thinking about what that answer could have meant. And it hurt.

"I love you, you know that right?" Jane's question broke the silence and Maura thought her heart was beating so loudly Jane had to hear it. She was too close not to.

"I love you too." Maura said without hesitating, because if she knew something for sure, it was that.

"I feel like I hurt you," Jane admitted in whisper and moved her head slightly away from Maura's neck, but her breath still tingled at the sensitive skin there.

"No you didn't, I'm okay," Maura said with sadness lacing her words, but she convinced herself she was saying the truth. It wasn't Jane's fault that Maura loved her. She didn't even know. She wasn't hurting her on purpose. She couldn't have known how every word about Casey was like a stab into her heart.

And suddenly she felt Jane's fingers interlacing with hers in a comforting and loving gesture, and her breath was evening out as she fell asleep by her side. And Maura felt brave enough to wrap her arm around Jane, place a kiss to her hair and draw soothing patterns on her back until she fell asleep too.

Maura woke up in the morning, the sun already creeping into the bedroom through the window. She turned her head to the side to check up on supposedly still deeply sleeping Jane, but the brunette was already awake, watching her with a smile on her lips.

"'Morning." She drawled mischievously, shifting under the blanket she had thrown over them at night when she felt Maura shivering.

"Good morning," Maura smiled back sleepily. "How long have you been awake?"

"Only like ten minutes." Jane shrugged with one shoulder and propped herself up on one hand.

"Have you been watching me sleep for ten minutes?" Maura asked with amusement colouring her voice.

"Nope. Maybe." Jane grinned and raised her eyebrows in challenge.

"Creepy," Maura laughed and shook her head.

"I was thinking…" Jane said, her cheerful tone dropping to more serious.

"What about?" Maura asked and turned on her side, propping herself on her hand and mirroring Jane's position.

"You said to me last night… 'I'm here' – and that's true, you always were. And never demanded of me to change or never forced me into anything, well except for yoga, running, Marathon-"  
"I just gently persuaded you." Maura interrupted her with a smirk. "But go on?"

"And I think that that's love? Not an ultimatum like Casey's… which was really wrong. He should know me well enough to know that what he wanted wasn't the same thing I want." Jane said and looked into Maura's eyes with hopeful smile.

"Are you saying-?" Maura couldn't believe what was happening and deep inside was afraid it was just one of her dreams. Wouldn't be the first one.

"Maura, would you let me take you out on a date?" Jane asked shyly with adoring look in her eyes.

"I-I would love that," Maura beamed and Jane took her hand into hers again.

"Deal. Tonight at eight?" she suggested the usual time Maura used to leave on dates with various guys who Jane didn't approve of.

Maura chuckled. "You know Jane that we go out after work every day, we practically have been on hundreds of dates by now."

"You're right. So can I kiss you already?" Jane grinned and raised her eyebrow in question. But Maura didn't answer. Her hand slipped into Jane's hair and pulled her closer and closer until their lips met in a sweet kiss.

"How did you know?" Maura asked breathlessly once they pulled away. She withdrew her hand and moved it to caress Jane's cheek.

"I heard your heartbeat last night, when we were talking… And one very smart doctor explained to me once how the heartbeat gets affected by emotions." Jane answered casually but ended in pointed look to the blonde in front of her.

"You actually listen to me?" Maura's face lit up with a pleased smile.

"Most of the time, yeah." Jane shrugged and nodded, feeling the contagious happiness warming up her chest.

"I love you." Maura said tenderly with a slight tilt of her head.

"I know that, I read your heartbeat-" Jane grinned cockily and Maura nudged her to her ribs. "Ow! I love you too!"

Maura giggled and crawled across the bed, closer to Jane, into her embrace.

"I have to get up in seven minutes-" she warned, but hugged Jane around her waist and laid her head on her chest.  
"Stay here, it's long enough." Jane purred and tightened the embrace around her, caressing Maura's back.

"Okay," Maura mumbled with a smile, nuzzling Jane's collarbone, placing a kiss there.

Jane kissed Maura's forehead and a smile grew on her lips.

She finally felt right.


End file.
